47 Responses to Klinsmann addresses U.S. challenge in Mexico

I believe that the players we have are going to play to win the game, and that we will not set up to just absorb pressure. This is somewhat encouraging to me. I also feel like that if we were really trying to set up to win, we would have called in players that we are confident will be in Azteca when it matters next summer.

Here’s the thing abotu Klinsy. He is constantly saying “we are capable of playing with the best in the world.” Constantly comparing us to Brazil, Spain, Germany, whatever. We are not any of those teams. In fact at the moment we are nowhere close to as good as those teams. He’s too caught up in the hype; his expectations of himself and his team are too high.

Boo Radley never made those kinds of comparisons. He just coached. He trained hard, put the best squads together, kept his mouth shut and exhibited true American spirit and tough-nose dedication.

The more Klinsy talks about “playing with the best in the world” the more he raises public expectations and sets himself up to fail. Let’s just play with as much energy and passion as we know we can, get out there and get the job done. If not, we come back, train harder and win next time.

How about didn’t have a choice? This isn’t FIFA 2012 where we can just roll out any player we’d like. There are club relationships, distance, injury concern, and a host of other issues he must consider.

I guarantee Klinsmann would prefer to play his starting CBs, but he cannot and thus is making the best of a bad friendly situation by getting players with potential some very needed experience in a brutal environment.

He never said we are as good as those teams. He never once said that. Ever. At any point in time. Clearly you heard something nobody else did between Klinsmann saying we have a long way to go and we will have some real down moments on the path.

The rest of your argument is a moot point since it’s entirely a straw man.

Klinsy says, “we are always trying something different”. Yes you are Jurgen and I see that as a problem at some point. Jamaica is just around the corner and you’re still experimenting. Figure it out and lets make sure American fans will actually get to watch their team in Brazil in 2014.

That was in good fun. Whatever, sorry if I offended you. And Tyler, he might not say we are as good as those teams, but he is ALWAYS comparing us to them, or at least always talking about them. Stop jizzing yourself over a style of play we can’t accomplish yet and go make your players run harder and care more.

yes, but at the same time he clearly says again and again that it is necessary to form a program that is in the image of these programs, so to my mind mind what he says in this quote of “we can play with the best in the word” speaks to that bigre picture, not just match to match.

JK firmly believes that we can create a program that gets all rising international caliber players on the same page, clear of their roles and motivated to execute those roles in order to create a pool that is several players deep at each position. When that system is in place and thriving we will have the quality to beat anyone on any given day.

it will take time, but he seems to think that the talent is out there, not we simply need to put the system in place get the players on board with that system and give it time to do it’s thing.

I believe he stated that we are not Spain. He said our goal is to compete and play with the top teams and every time the US steps on the field they are playing to win! That is what a coach should be saying and he should be trying to get his team to play at the level of Germany, Brazil, Italy and even trying to reach the level Spain is playing at. Will he accomplish all of that in a two or four year period probably not but he should be pushing for that all the time. Every coach who comes in should be pushing to get to the top level.

So DO THAT. TRAIN Them. Don’t talk about and think that we are anywhere near those teams in the meantime. Any USA fan who thinks we have the talent pool to play tiki taka within 5-10 years is delusional. Sorry, I’m the biggest USA fan there is, but that’s the truth. We have to play to our strengths.

Sorry, but throwing Mo Edu in as a CB alongside Geoff Cameron was certainly his decision. There are plenty of North American-based CB candidates that he could have brought in before deputizing Edu on the backline. I happen to like Edu, but he’s only been torched while playing CB. And don’t even get me started on calling in Orozco-Fiscal and Castillo.

Alan Gordon at least makes an ounce of sense to play off of Wondo (but that’s it), but it’s incredibly challenging to see how this is anything close to an A team or even a youth A team.

But our strengths will produce mediocrity at best. We aren’t trying to replicate Spain, but incorporate certain elements into our game. You are right that it may take more than 5 or 10 years, but that is the idea, to eventually be able to compete with the best, not just be happy sitting at the table.

I agree with you that we are not as good as Germany, Argentina or Spain now, although we can beat a superior team on a good day if things go just right (our 2-0 win over Spain is a prime example). However, I disagree that inability to play the tiki-taka style has much to do with our talent pool. There are plenty of talented kids in our youth system, they are just not taught and developed properly. If you want to see a good example of american kids playing tiki-taka and maintaining possession well, check out the 3four3 blog. They just posted a video of their U12 team, which is ranked No.1 in this country, playing against FC Dallas U12 team in the Surf Cup. You will be blown away by how U12 team from California plays. Tiki-taka can be taught to American kids, but most youth coaches in this country have no clue how to do it.

This guy JK was given the keys to the entire operation and he has NO IDEA on how to move us forward from the youth leveil up.
I am also not a massive Boo Radley fan but that guy was a hard worker who would have already made big changes in our player development plan.

Please anyone, tell me where I can find out vision for player development. And please don’t don’t show me the piece of nonsense from Javier Lopez.

Yeah, let’s keep doing what we’ve always done because…you know…that’s worked out so awesome for us. Stop trying to be better or measure yourself up to the best because, I mean why should we? We’ll never be that good…

I mean I am paraphrasing here but I’d like to ask if that is what you’re getting at because you lost me the very moment you misstated everyting JK said in the very video attached to this thread.

Who would have? he had plenty of time and didn’t. And lets stop with the hard worker crap. Look at the Olympics, Phelps had more talent even if he was not the hardest worker. Give me talent, you keep the workers.

What we WERE doing, was almost winning the Confederations Cup, ending Spain’s 30+ game win streak, advancing to group play in the world cups, and beating Mexico. I’ll check back anytime in the next 10 years to see if those same things are happening. I’m not hating on JK, but he is setting himself up to fail. I hope we win tonight to shut me up!

You miss my point, Ben. BB would have had the plan in place IF he had been given the responsibility of player development in his job decsription.
The president did not give it to him. He gave it to a former national team star who never coached before

When you are lacking talent, you work hard. Bob Bradley’s teams were always in peak physical condition and their aggressiveness is what won the games, not their quick passing. He recognized the reality of the situation.

All of those players have been with the first team at some point with Klinsmann, and most have started a few games. Please tell me where are all these non scrubs you speak of. Really the only “A” team players missing are Bradley, Dempsey, Altidore and Boca.

One game… you’re pointing to one game in which we were so thoroughly outplayed that the Spanish players were laughing post game? They had something like 15 shots on goal and 30 shots overall. Tim Howard won that game against Spain because he’s Tim Howard. Bob Bradley had ZERO to do with it.

And we had better get out of a group with Algeria and Slovenia. I’d bet you can’t even find those on a map let alone tell me a single player from either of their teams.

We were gifted one of the easiest WC groups ever and still barely made it out in spite of bad coaching moves.

I love it, its bob bradleys fault when we lose but its the player pool when klinnsman does. People need to get off his jock and realize he is doing nothing different then the previous coaches before him. 3 defensive mids? You call that attacking soccer?

I don’t want to continue this but no, I’m not pointing to one game, I’m pointing to a littany of games including yes the Spain victory, the should have been Brazil victory, beating Mexico, the gold cup, WC qualifying, and other conference games.

But I’m not talking about that now. I just want Klinsy to put his nose to the ground and get some results, in whatever style he wants, then talk about our team in relation to the rest of the world much later, after he has accomplished something.

American fans have gotten really negative recently. And it’s really annoying to read these comments. I am cheering the team on for a win tonight. It’s probably unlikely to win missing five starters, but I don’t think we’re going to get “destroyed”.

you should go cry in the corner..
the past few days people have been suggesting Edu as a CB all over these threads and then you find out thats where he will play and everyone is cryin…
The games that really matter will be played in 2 weeks, this is where you see what your limited roster is made of.. man up

weak comeback, asserting Bradley had zero to do with the accomplshments and trying to rationalize away any of his accomplishments as coach of the team.

Bradley’s WC team was the first US team to ever win the final WC group stage game, required for them to advance btw. Having achieved that same goal at the Confed Cup by beating Egypt is the final group stage game, that team had a mental nd emotional leg up on doing again, when required most, in South Africa.

That victory over Egypt was focusedinto the herculean effort vs. Spain…and Bradley was in the middle of helping to create that mindset all after the debacle of the weak hearted 2006 team. Had to beat Mexico in the Gold Cup just to earn the right to beat Egypt and Spain.

the coach was not in the middle of all this and had zero impact??? That is truly a ridiculous statement nd belief to hold onto

the backline worries me tonight, we’ll see if that fear is ufounded, I hope so. Fabian makes a big difference back there, as good as we’e seen at that position for the Nats I think

Anyway, I expect herculean effort from all players on the field at all times, and am looking for those guys who get off stirring up the hive and respond aggressively and focused in those environments by kicking butt and expressing themselves with teir best of best eforts and performances

we’ll see, but no matter what it’s an excellent challenge for those presented with it

Gordon and international’s aside… does anyone wonder if Klinsman is getting caps for these young guys in order to up the possibility for a move to european clubs? yes, the game counts cause it’s Mexico, but if given the chance to use 6 subs for capping purposes makes sense.